What should or should not bring?

[NightRaven77]

Howdy people!

I am going on my very first liveaboard (NEKTON PILOT) this October 25th....

I would like to know if anyone has anything in particular I should bring or dont bother bringing??anything I should know before departing......any expierences I might learn from....

Any heads up will be appreciated!

Nightraven77

[RoatanMan]

The Nekton is the most single civilized live aboard on the sea. You won't need to bring much!

First- maybe think about what you won't need! All live aboards are different, and you should know that the Nekton provides towels for inside your cabin as well as on deck. You won't need any dive bag other than your travel bag as all of your gear is held in stainless steel bays at your station. Your weight system should be able to accomodate lead shot bags, not hard weights. I'm sure your BC is adjustable to accomodate 90 cf tanks, only 1970's vintage rigs might have a problem.

You might like a small (12x12") mesh goody bag to hold small items that you'll want to carry off the dive deck such as computer, watches, etc. Another such bag to contain the small stuff you leave down on the deck, but not absolutely necessary. One pair of shoes will do. Insect spray (for no see ums) while on shore leave.

Altho there is a wake up call before every dive and meal, maybe you'll want an alarm clock.

On certain itineraries you have to take a commuter plane to Andros, so do some checking with STARS (the booking agent) in regards to weight limits and fees for overages.

They can sell you batteries and a few other things while on board. In the mean time, think about all the stuff you might like on a dive trip and skip a lot of the clothes (there is no dirt!). A light windbreaker/polarfleece and a hat, get going and out the door!

Enjoy the finest ship in the Bahamas! (But be sure to try their Belize cruise in the Caribbean as well!)

Roatan Man :cool:

[Damselfish]

I remembered reading someplace they had 90s or 100s, and I was wondering if they have smaller tanks. And what do they use for Nitrox? (I usually consider an 80 too big.)

[NightRaven77]

I have heard they have steel 90's for their tanks.........and 14 total tanks dedicated to nitrox only.....therefore........first come first serve......

anyone going that week let me know...

NightRaven77

[RoatanMan]

Aluminum 90's. On average, most divers would be clueless with a steel tank's bouyancy characteristics. They are rarely rented to the casual diver such as found in the Caribbean live aboards.

Many Nekton guests get all flustered when they see their tanks are not inflated to 3200 p.s.i. as they may be used to. After they do the math, they know their bottom time is about the same and need for lead is reduced.

Once again, I add- I have done the Nekton several times, doing 5x a day, well within ND limits using air. But I am the king of cheapskates.

[chrispete]

On the Pilot last year we were using St 95's. As far as packing, you really have no need for street clothes other than getting to the boat and after you leave the boat. The other thing to keep expenses down would be to pack rechargable batteries and a charger - buying batteries can be expensive on the boat. I have to say, the Pilot was super stable, we had to make one crossing to Garcia's backyard (Belize) in 12 foot seas with 50-60 knot winds and the only movement felt was the occasional slowing of the boat's forward motion - of course, we had a meeting earlier that night where we were presented with options by the captain and everyone on the boat voted to cancel our night dive and make that rough crossing instead of going back to previously dived sites in more sheltered waters. No other liveaboards had tried the crossing, so we were at that site alone the next morning.

[raviepoo]

Are you saying that they don't have any hard weights on board? I use a weight belt because I prefer it. Would I have to bring my own weights?

(I don't have a trip on one of the Nekton boats booked at present, but I'm considering it. I would hate to arrive and find that they diddn't have any weights for me to use.)



RoatanMan once bubbled...
Your weight system should be able to accomodate lead shot bags, not hard weights.

[Damselfish]

I emailed Nekton on exactly what tanks they use and got the following reply:

"The large majority of our tanks for air/nitrox are steel 95's. We do have a limited number of steel 72's, aluminum 80's and aluminum 63's on both our vessels. We highly recommend the steel 95's because of their buoyancy characteristics (most divers can remove 5-6 pounds off of what they would normally dive with with an aluminum 80). The steel 95's are shorter than aluminum 80's and weigh only 3 pounds more than an aluminum 80 out of the water (but remember, you're taking 5-6 pounds off your weightbelt)."

[chrispete]

There were hard weights available on the Pilot when I was on it.

[Vtdiver2]

Howdy people!

I am going on my very first liveaboard (NEKTON PILOT) this October 25th....

I would like to know if anyone has anything in particular I should bring or dont bother bringing??anything I should know before departing......any expierences I might learn from....

Any heads up will be appreciated!

Nightraven77

I'd advise some warm clothes for the evenings or after a dive, rechargeable batteries and a charger, and 2 wetsuits. On my last live aboard we were diving 5X a day and switching wetsuits and allowing the other time to dry would have been nice. No cold, wet wetsuit feeling....especially on the night dives when things cool off and your core temp is already low from the previous 4 dives. I'll bring 2 on my next trip.
Enjoy,
Chris

[DiveMaven]

Great thread and advice everyone! We're heading to the Pilot in Belize in December, so all these hints and tips really help. Thanks!!

[gstroupe]

I'm headed out in October and this thread has been invaluable...THANKS!

[Louie]

Seasickness remedy - just in case

[BigBill]

Aluminum 90's. On average, most divers would be clueless with a steel tank's bouyancy characteristics. They are rarely rented to the casual diver such as found in the Caribbean live aboards.

Many Nekton guests get all flustered when they see their tanks are not inflated to 3200 p.s.i. as they may be used to. After they do the math, they know their bottom time is about the same and need for lead is reduced.

Once again, I add- I have done the Nekton several times, doing 5x a day, well within ND limits using air. But I am the king of cheapskates.

I love steel tanks and I dive with them regularly here in Missouri. But of course, that's another thread! Leaving for the Bahamas tomorrow for a live-aboard trip.

[EvaL]

This is probably more info than you need: I was on Nelton Pilot in Belize last November. Nektons are stable (due to twin hulls) and our vessel sways sideways in swells, which is different from typical boats. In my opinion, the facilities and service is on par with Peter Hughes and Aggressor, so you don't need to bring anything you don't need to a typical liveaboard. Bring a change of clothes in between dives, and PJ if you chill easily as their room a/c is pretty strong. The Pilot wasn't filled to capacity with divers on my trip, so we each got a room per diver. We dove Steel 95's and hard weights were provided (don't recall they had soft weights). I requested and paid for nitrox but it was unavailable (broken compressor) and they refunded the money during the trip. They had separate towels for the deck and rooms - those for deck were preheated, very nice especially after a long dive. Your gear sits on the rear dive deck that is elevated when the vessel is underway. There are 2 benches for photographic equipment. They have a competition for best uw digital photo for each trip, so bring your digital camera. They don't provide alcohol, but you can bring yours or they can take you to liquor shop before boarding on Day 1.
Enjoy your trip and dive safely.